1. harshly critical or sarcastic in a cutting way

1. a substance used to fix dyes to fabrics or other materials
Usage: technical

Examples

• The critic’s mordant review destroyed the playwright’s confidence.
• Her mordant wit made everyone uncomfortable at the dinner party.
• The comedian’s mordant humor often crossed the line into cruelty.
• The textile factory used alum as a mordant to set the bright colors.
• Without a proper mordant, the dye would wash out after the first cleaning.
• His mordant observations about politics were both funny and disturbing.